This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

hi all.

i hope you don't mind me writing here, but i'm kinda freaking out and i wanted some input.

I am a 40 yr old female, and some symptoms i'm having right now are scaring me greatly. all i can think about is it might be MS.

any input or help would be greatly appreciated.

here are what i'm feeling~
~about 2 mths ago i started getting twinges in my right cheek, like electric shocks, and then they also started on top on my head.
~about a month ago, i started getting a crawling/tingly feeling under my chin, which would run across my chin and then go away. i keep thinking something was on it my skin.
~ at the same time, i always feel like i'm vibrating or shaking
~ about 2 weeks ago, i started getting muscle spasms on my left side (mostly) from twitches in my legs , to my side, back , arm and hand, and even my throat started getting spasms once in a while.
~about a week ago, i started getting a muscle spasm in my right hand only
~in the last 2 days, the right hand spasm has turned into a crazy twitching of my thumb, that comes about every few minutes and lasts about 30 seconds at a time.
~today, i'm noticing that my lips keep quivering, and i have to keep biting them to stop it!
~ also, my vision has been strained lately as well, and i'm finding it hard to focus once in a while. this has been giving me headaches.

ughhhhhhhhhhh...
i'm freaking out here!!!!

hi michele, welcome to the board although it's a scary time for you right now!

your symptoms could be caused by a variety of things but you should definitely go to your doc.

i mostly know about nutritional stuff, and mostly only relevant to ms patients and/or vegans and/or healthy controls...

if it turns out to be feasible to get some nutrient labs done in addition to the status quo diagnostic testing for neurological issues, FYI in MS various things are suspect including b12, D3, zinc, uric acid, ferritin, magnesium, selenium, polyunsaturated fatty acids, those kinds of things.

hope you can get to the doc soon so they can start investigating!

keep us posted as things develop,
JL

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my approach: no meds so far - just balanced whole foods (partial 'paleo', much less outright elimination), science, supplements, & bloodwork
my regimen - www.thisisms.com/ftopict-2489.html
www.whfoods.com, www.nutritiondata.com

Welcome to This Is MS, Michele. I agree with jimmylegs that you should be working with a doctor. Since I have read again the book, The MS Solution by Kathryn R, Simpson, M.S., I also agree with the author who recommends "a complete endocrine evaluation."

There are many endocrine hormones to check; in my opinion, two of the most important are insulin and cortisol. I think that excess insulin has a role in MS -- my latest test result was still moderately high in spite of a very low-carb diet.

Hi Michele,

I'm sorry you have such scary things going on right now. My first question is - what makes you wonder about MS? Have you already been to a doctor who suggested it as a possibility? Although MS can take many forms and we all have any number of twitches and twinges, there's not a single symptom that's exclusive to MS, and every single one of us presents in a different way. There are many, many conditions that mimic MS.

If you haven't already, the very first thing you should do is present your symptoms to your primary care doctor and let him/her guide you through the process of identifying what might be wrong. I've also found that they don't really appreciate when a patient shows up and suggests their own personal "internet diagnosis" so I wouldn't direct their moves unless they seem to dismiss everything as your imagination.

My first neuro was actually furious that I already had an MS diagnosis from another (non-neuro) doc before I got there and was very abusive about it. My 2nd neuro also seemed irritated that I already had a dx and tried to disprove it.

Although there is also no single MS test, a doctor can get clues from a simple neuro check and use MRIs and other tests to narrow it down. Sometimes it takes a while, but In my case I was diagnosed immediately after a physiatrist noticed my abnormal reactions and sent me for an MRI. In fact, I always suggest a physiatrist (neuro/muscular/skeletal/pain/rehab type of doc) as the perfect one to diagnose MS-y type of problems.

My only complaint was a slight tremor in one finger, and within 2 weeks the physiatrist had me diagnosed with almost 100% positive MS, along with a peripheral neuropathy (HNPP) that causes many of the same twitches, tingles, and spasms as MS.

Good luck to you, and please talk to your doctor.

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Dx'd with MS & HNPP (hereditary peripheral neuropathy) 7/03 but must have had MS for 30 yrs before that. I've never taken meds for MS or MS symptoms except 1 yr experiment on LDN. (I found diet, exercise, sleep, humor, music help me the most.)